Story Steps

Little levels (ages 4 to 6)

1. First, next, last Seed to flower, egg to hen, mix to eat: tap three pictures in order.
2. What happens next? Mia drops her ice cream; it starts to rain; the sun goes down.
3. Who and where? Characters and setting for three picture scenes.
4. How do they feel? Happy, sad, angry or scared: tap the face.
5. Tell it back Four-picture stories: the cake, the rainy day, the stuck kite.

Big levels (ages 7 to 9)

1. Beginning, middle, end Sort the three parts of two short stories.
2. Problem and solution What went wrong, and how was it fixed?
3. The main idea What is the paragraph mostly about?
4. Cause and effect The ground was wet. Why? What happens when plants go unwatered?
5. What will happen? Predict from the clues: dark clouds, a swimsuit, a wobbly tower.
6. Fact or opinion? Dogs have four legs; dogs are the best pets.

The big ideas

• Stories happen in order. First, next, then, last. Putting events in sequence is the first comprehension skill, and retelling a story in order shows a child understood it.

• Stories have a who, a where and a feeling. Characters, setting and emotions are the handles a reader holds a story by. Naming how a character feels builds empathy as well as understanding.

• Beginning, middle, end; problem and solution. Most stories set something up, let something go wrong and then fix it. Spotting that shape makes new stories easier to follow and makes writing one easier too.

• Main idea, cause and effect, prediction. Good readers ask what a text is mostly about, why things happen, and what will probably happen next. These questions turn reading words into understanding.

• Facts can be checked; opinions can be argued. Dogs have four legs is a fact. Dogs are the best pets is an opinion. Telling them apart is the beginning of thinking critically about what you read.

Try it at home

1. Retell at bedtime After a picture book, close it and ask: what happened first, next and last? Then ask how the main character felt at the end.
2. Pause and predict Stop halfway through a story and ask what will happen next and why. Then read on and see.
3. Photo sequence Take three photos of a daily routine (brushing teeth, breakfast, shoes on) and have your child put them in order and tell the story.
4. Fact or opinion at dinner Take turns saying a sentence; the others say whether it is a fact or an opinion. Broccoli is green: fact. Broccoli is yummy: opinion!

Ask after playing

• What was the problem in the kitten story, and how was it solved?
• Tell me a story that happened to you today: first, next, last.
• Can you say one fact and one opinion about your favorite animal?